Isometric design help

[jmchaney]

Hello,
   Need some assistance with isometric drawing. I have used Visio 2007 Pro for a couple years but never tried to create a isometric drawing. I found a sample drawing over at ratemynetworkdiagram.com that I want to duplicate. I found several isometric server icons to use but I cannot figure out how to create the 3d floors or base the servers sit on. Make sense? I also assume the original designer was using Visio. Furthermore, does anyone know where you can find isometric network templates on the net? I can't seem to find much of anything when searching for isometric templates etc. Thanks in advance for your help!  BTW love this site!

[vojo]

3D and ISO is pretty complex for Visio

Juno has lots of good iso stencils.
I enhanced a few to add shading and lighting
I typically build up servers and such from these shapes.

Probably better options out there...but could not find them so did all this

[jmchaney]

Thanks Vojo for the quick response. Do you think the orginial designer used Vsio for this drawing? As for the 3D floors. I'm using the drawing tool and creating one.

[wapperdude]

The line or pencil tools will work well.  You can also draw a rectangle, then use the pencil tool (+ the shift key) to select a pair of vertices and drag them both to maintain parallel lines....or you could use the fillable 3D cube, see Solid Geometry:  a fillable cube (http://visguy.com/vgforum/index.php?topic=1421.0).  This has a configurable cube via use of 3 control points that maintain the parallel lines.

The attached file gives you an idea what can be done.  The shadow was a separate shape.  It uses two patterns (probably overkill) with multiple transparency effects.  Open it's shapesheet and scroll to the Fill section.

Attached is a sample, the fills are more flamboyant in order to see the different "faces". 

Something to consider...

Wapperdude

[jmchaney]

Thanks Wapperdude! I was in the process of ungrouping existing isometric shapes but your drawing will save me a ton of time! Thanks again! I will also read the topic you posted.

[vojo]

I would think so...I routinely do drawings much more complex than that for discussions.   I made a bunch of shapes for blades and such using the stuff I made, so would think somebody else probably did the same thing.

Here is an example of IBM BladeCenter S....its took big to attach here as a visio drawing...but it was done in visio